Club History

Everton Football Club, located in the city of Liverpool, was founded in 1878. The club originally played at Anfield, but has been based at Goodison Park since 1892, following a rent dispute. Everton competes in the Premier League and has spent more seasons (105) in the top division than any other. There is a great Merseyside rivalry between Everton and Liverpool. The “Merseyside derby” has resulted in 56 wins for Everton, 67 wins for Liverpool and 55 draws, since the inaugural fixture in the 1894-95 season. The “Toffees” rank amongst the top 5 most successful English clubs, with 9 League titles, 5 FA Cup successes and a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. In 2006, it was announced that the club and Knowsley Council were discussing the construction of a new 55,000 seater stadium in Kirkby.

Opportunities to Bet on Everton

Premiership Title
Everton’s 9 league titles pre-date the Premier League era, their latest success coming in the 1986-87 season. However, the side has performed with credit with 3 European qualifications (2007-08, 2006-07 and 2004-05) and 4 finishes in the top eight in the Premiership. The top-4 finish in 2004-05 was particularly creditable, ensuring qualification for the Champions’ League for the first time. The bookmakers generally have Everton betting odds in the top ten in the Premiership market. While a bet on Everton to finish in the top six (or even top four, for the very brave) is reasonable, betting on Everton to win the Premier League title is tantamount to pouring money down the drain.

Premiership Matches
Everton has an enviable home record in the Premiership and provides a stern test for even the best sides at Goodison Park. Their away form is generally creditable, but tends to be a little “hit and miss”. The lack of goalscoring ability away from Goodison tends to exacerbate the problem. Betting on Everton at home often provides good value for punters, but “on the road”, a more circumspect approach to a bet on Everton is advised.

Domestic Cup Competitions

FA Cup
Everton has enjoyed FA Cup success 5 times, dating back to 1906. Their only success in the Premiership era came with a shock 1-0 win over Manchester United in 1995. Everton generally enjoys a reasonable run in the FA Cup (given the luck of the draw) and the Everton odds offered by the layers (usually 25/1 or 33/1) offer some value for the punter.

FA Community Shield
Everton has been one of the most successful clubs in this fixture, with 8 wins and one shared with Liverpool in 1986. The club holds the record for the most consecutive wins, from 1984 to 1987 inclusive.

European Competitions

UEFA Champions’ League
A fourth place in the Premier League gave Everton their only qualification for the Champions’ League to date. However, they made an early exit, losing to Villareal at the qualification stage. Everton reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1964 and 1971, but such “ancient history” is of no relevance to betting on Everton in the current era.

UEFA Cup
In 2007-08, Everton won eight and drew one of their UEFA Cup matches, finally exiting on penalties to Fiorentina. A fifth place in the Premier League ensured a return for the 2008-09 season. Everton odds have them as about tenth-best in the UEFA Cup market (25/1 with Paddy Power), providing some value and entertainment for punters, for minimal outlay.

UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup
The Everton side of 1985 claimed the Cup Winners’ Cup and the English league title in the same season. After an impressive victory over Bayern Munich in the semi-final, Everton beat Rapid Wien in the final, narrowly missing out on a unique treble three days later, losing to Manchester United in the FA Cup final.